<p class="title rtejustify">JD(S) MLA K Srinivas Gowda on Sunday made serious allegations against the BJP saying that leaders from the saffron party had tried to lure him with money and ministership.</p>.<p class="bodytext rtejustify">“The BJP leaders had pressured me to quit as MLA and join the saffron party. BJP MLAs Vishwanath and Ashwathnarayana and former MLA C P Yogeeshwar brought a bag containing Rs 5 crore cash to my house in Bengaluru. They promised me a further Rs 25 crore and a Cabinet berth if I quit JD(S) and join the BJP. I returned the money after two months following the suggestion by Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy. I could not trap them along with the cash”, Srinivas Gowda told reporters here.</p>.<p class="bodytext rtejustify">“When I informed Kumaraswamy about the offer from the BJP, he asked me not to make it an issue out of it. So, I remained silent. I will not succumb to pressure tactics by the BJP. All their efforts to poach MLAs from rival camps have failed,” the Kolar MLA said.</p>.<p class="bodytext rtejustify">Despite repeated requests to BJP leaders to take back money, nobody came forward. When I decided to initiate legal action, Yogeeshwar took the bag containing Rs 5 crore cash back, the JD(S) MLA added.</p>.<p class="bodytext rtejustify">To a query on Yeddyurappa mentioning Speaker K R Ramesh Kumar’s name in the leaked audio tape, K Srinivas Gowda said, Yeddyurappa is heard telling in the audio tape that Speaker has been booked for Rs 50 crore. Ramesh Kumar is one of the respected politicians.</p>.<p class="bodytext rtejustify">A four-time MLA, Ramesh Kumar has been elected as Speaker for the second term. He cannot stoop so low. It is unfortunate that Yeddyurappa has spoken lightly of a man of Ramesh Kumar’s stature, he said.</p>
<p class="title rtejustify">JD(S) MLA K Srinivas Gowda on Sunday made serious allegations against the BJP saying that leaders from the saffron party had tried to lure him with money and ministership.</p>.<p class="bodytext rtejustify">“The BJP leaders had pressured me to quit as MLA and join the saffron party. BJP MLAs Vishwanath and Ashwathnarayana and former MLA C P Yogeeshwar brought a bag containing Rs 5 crore cash to my house in Bengaluru. They promised me a further Rs 25 crore and a Cabinet berth if I quit JD(S) and join the BJP. I returned the money after two months following the suggestion by Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy. I could not trap them along with the cash”, Srinivas Gowda told reporters here.</p>.<p class="bodytext rtejustify">“When I informed Kumaraswamy about the offer from the BJP, he asked me not to make it an issue out of it. So, I remained silent. I will not succumb to pressure tactics by the BJP. All their efforts to poach MLAs from rival camps have failed,” the Kolar MLA said.</p>.<p class="bodytext rtejustify">Despite repeated requests to BJP leaders to take back money, nobody came forward. When I decided to initiate legal action, Yogeeshwar took the bag containing Rs 5 crore cash back, the JD(S) MLA added.</p>.<p class="bodytext rtejustify">To a query on Yeddyurappa mentioning Speaker K R Ramesh Kumar’s name in the leaked audio tape, K Srinivas Gowda said, Yeddyurappa is heard telling in the audio tape that Speaker has been booked for Rs 50 crore. Ramesh Kumar is one of the respected politicians.</p>.<p class="bodytext rtejustify">A four-time MLA, Ramesh Kumar has been elected as Speaker for the second term. He cannot stoop so low. It is unfortunate that Yeddyurappa has spoken lightly of a man of Ramesh Kumar’s stature, he said.</p>